Surgeon Susan Lim's husband launches new court bid against SMC lawyers

General surgeon Susan Lim has come under fire after the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) alleged in court in early 2010 that she overcharged a royal patient from Brunei. -- BT PHOTO: ARTHUR LEE CH
General surgeon Susan Lim has come under fire after the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) alleged in court in early 2010 that she overcharged a royal patient from Brunei. -- BT PHOTO: ARTHUR LEE CH
Citi Private Bank chairman Mr Deepak Sharma at the Supreme Court on Nov 10, 2011. -- PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - Just under a year after surgeon Susan Lim lost her case against the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) for overcharging a royal patient from Brunei, her husband has launched a new court bid against the council's lawyers - over similar allegations of overcharging.

The husband of Dr Lim - Mr Deepak Sharma - is applying for a judicial review of a Law Society of Singapore (Lawsoc) review committee's decision.

This, after his complaint that the SMC had overcharged his wife, was partially dismissed by the Lawsoc committee, reported The Business Times.

Dr Lim, 59, had lost a case by SMC asserting that she had overcharged her wealthy Bruneian patient, and had to pay the SMC's costs amounting to over $1 million.

But Mr Sharma, who is funding his wife's case, had challenged the bill of costs, saying that the SMC's lawyers from WongPartnership were "grossly overcharging my wife by $637,009", The Business Times reported.

The bill was then reduced to $340,000, but SMC's lawyers appealed the decision, and High Court Judge Justice Woo Bih Li eventually allowed a sum of $370,000.

In January this year, Mr Sharma complained to Lawsoc that the SMC's lawyers actions were "dishonourable and constitute grossly improper conduct".

A review committee dismissed his complaint partially, and he has now applied for a judicial review on top of that decision.

He said he is also applying for well-known Queen's Counsel Michael Fordham to represent him, after being turned down by over 20 Singapore Senior Counsels he had approached.

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